Go Culture-Hopping in San Antonio

La Gloria sits on the grounds of popular food-and-culture destination Pearl Brewery.

(Photo: Courtesy of La Gloria)

Sample the highlights of Mexico’s regional cuisine at
La Gloria, where chef Johnny Hernandez re-creates the dishes of street vendors and taquerias. Sit among copper sculptures on the outdoor patio and sample tacos al pastor ($5.25) from Mexico City, tlayudas topped with shredded beef ($8.50) from Oaxaca, and a variety of ceviches ($8-$12) reflecting different regional recipes.

Experience history and high-minded bar food at the
Esquire Tavern, which first opened in 1933 to celebrate the end of Prohibition, but was renovated and reopened in 2011 following a five-year hiatus. Choose from selections like fried beets with tarragon aioli ($6), organic burgers topped with refried beans ($10), and fried apple pie ($9). A rotating selection of local beers is served, but stick to the complex cocktail menu, which earned a James Beard Award nomination earlier this year.

Load up on breakfast served all day long at the
Guenther House, one of the most elegant homes in the King William Historic District, originally settled by German immigrants. The house was built by the founder of a flour mill, and the restaurant pays tribute to him with plates of buttermilk pancakes ($6.25) and sweet cream waffles ($6.75) made from his company’s recipes. Choose between sitting in the Art Nouveau dining room, accented with stained glass, or al fresco underneath a trellis next to the house.